If this
is what your frame looks like you are in need of frame repair, even one
winters worth of driving will take a toll on your Corvettes frame. Itís
true that
fiberglass doesnít rust but the frames under that fiberglass sure do.
Here we
will show you how we go about repairing a frame such as this. (Note:
These
pictures are of the frame directly in front of the rear wheels.) The end
of the
main frame rails are typically the area were most frames are damaged by
rust.
Any condensation in the frame rails should drain out of a small hole at
the end
of the frame rail. When that hole plugs up this is the result.

In some
cases we can repair the damage to the frame with the body on the car, in
this particular case the damage was too severe and we had to pull the
body. Pulling
the body also gives us a chance to look the entire frame over and check
it for other
spots that may need repair.

Since this is the Chassis Repair section we will not show the pulling of
the
body however if you would like to see how we do a body pull at Corvette
Sports please visit the Body-off Restoration
page.

Here is
the roller for the 1981 Corvette above, this chassis is going to be
completely restored which may be farther than you want to go. We have
many
different levels of chassis rebuilding for your price needs. This is
just one
example.

Once the
engine and transmission are pulled the chassis is completely
disassembled down to a bare frame. Once it gets to that point the frame
will be
chemically stripped. This gets all of the rust dirt and grime that has
accumulated
over the years. It also gives us a good surface for welding and making
repairs.

Here is what a frame looks like when
it comes back from dipping. We have a
completely bare frame that is ready for repair. Below we see the LH
frame
section that was pictured above however the frame is flipped 180
degrees so
we can begin working on replacing these sections.

The frame section above will be cut
away and a new frame rail will be welded back
into place. We have copies of the original frame schematics, that
include all the
measurements we need to be sure the body mounts are in the right
spot to ensure
an exact fit with the body.

Here we
see the frame section removed, and the new section installed as well as
the frame gusset. The reason we replaced such a big section was due to
the
thinness of the metal around the rust holes. This ensures that we have
metal that
is of comparable thickness to weld to.

Here is
the finished frame before it goes out for powder coating, we powder coat
EVERY frame that we restore. We cannot stress enough how a powder coated
finish is the best possible finish for your frame. The durability and
longevity of
powder coating is unmatched by any kind of paint, no matter what kind of
claims the
paint manufacture makes. Powder coating is the only why to go.

Unfortunately I only have one close-up of the frame repairs after the
powder coating,
this is what a finished frame looks like. After the frame is back we put
it on a lift and
tap out all nessecary holes, and rustproof the inside of the frame. This
will keep it
looking new for years to come. This frame also has the front and rear
suspension on
it was well as the brake lines. New fuel and brake lines are a
recommended
while they are easy to install. In most cases if a frame is in need of
repair the lines are in
need of attention as well.